Bicycle trainers have become popular training devices among bicycle enthusiasts and others as a means of providing physical training for the body. Bicycle trainers are compact devices that can be easily stored and used when needed to provide physical conditioning for a bicycle rider. They can be used advantageously indoors during inclement weather, after dark or at other times when normal bicycle riding is impractical or inconvenient.
A bicycle trainer includes a base that attaches to and supports a rear axle of a bicycle. A rotatable fan, electromagnetic generator or other drag inducing device is coupled to be driven by the rotating rear wheel of the bicycle so as to provide a drag force that increases with rotational velocity of the wheel. A bicycle trainer is commonly referred to as a wind trainer or mag trainer, depending upon the drag inducing device that is used. Unlike most fixed place bicycles, which have a constant force frictional drag mechanism, a wind trainer or mag trainer can closely simulate actual riding conditions by varying the drag force with the wheel speed much as wind resistance would increase with bicycle speed during normal riding. Furthermore, because a bicycle trainer attaches to an actual bicycle, a rider can train on the bicycle that will be used for actual riding activity. A bicycle trainer is also more compact and more easily stored than a fixed place bicycle since it does not include the pedal, seat and handlebar mechanisms, these features being provided by the detachable bicycle.
While bicycle trainers have proven popular and advantageous among bicycle riders, the mechanism for attaching a bicycle trainer to a bicycle has remained inconvenient. Because variations occur in axle sizes, the bicycle trainer engagement mechanism must be adjustable so as to accommodate different sizes.
The engagement mechanism has typically used two holding mechanisms, one on each side of a bicycle rear axle. Typically a cone nut is secured directly to the base on one side of the wheel and a cone nut is held by a threaded bolt on the other side. The bolt is threadedly secured to the base so that by rotating the bolt the cone nut can be moved between an adjustable engagement position and a release position. A lock nut may be used to secure the bolt against further rotation once it is in the engagement position.
This arrangement has proven inconvenient for mounting and detaching a bicycle. It is somewhat time consuming and poses the danger that the mechanism will not be properly adjusted in the engagement position or will come loose during training, thus allowing the bicycle to fall unexpectedly.
The present invention provides a cam driven quick release mechanism that allows a bicycle trainer to be adjusted once to a particular bicycle axle size. Thereafter the cam is operated to quickly and securely engage or release the bicycle axle. Readjustment is required only when different bicycles are used and the engagement is rapid and secure.